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IPC Subgroup
G21C 3/33

Supporting or hanging of elements in the bundle; Means forming part of the bundle for inserting it into, or removing it from, the core; Means for coupling adjacent bundles

Introduced: January 1990

Last revised: January 2006

Full Title

Reactor fuel elements or their assemblies; Selection of substances for use as reactor fuel elements > Assemblies of a number of fuel elements in the form of a rigid unit > Bundles of parallel pin-, rod-, or tube-shaped fuel elements > Supporting or hanging of elements in the bundle; Means forming part of the bundle for inserting it into, or removing it from, the core; Means for coupling adjacent bundles

Classification Context

Section:
PHYSICS
Class:
NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
Subclass:
NUCLEAR REACTORS

Filing statistics

IPC G21C 3/33 belongs to the parent subclass G21C, which recorded 29,798 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings declined from 2,773 in 2013 to 2,661 in 2023 (-4%), peaking at 3,001 applications in 2021. The most active applicants in class G21 are CHINA GENERAL NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATION (2,364 applications), CGN POWER COMPANY (1,899 applications) and CHINA NUCLEAR POWER ENGINEERING COMPANY (1,870 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

1 direct subcode

Child Classifications

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Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class G21, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

  1. CHINA GENERAL NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATION 2,364
  2. CGN POWER COMPANY 1,899
  3. CHINA NUCLEAR POWER ENGINEERING COMPANY 1,870
  4. NUCLEAR POWER INSTITUTE OF CHINA 1,517
  5. KOREA ATOMIC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE KR 1,367
  6. WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION US 1,295
  7. KOREA HYDRO & NUCLEAR POWER COMPANY KR 1,196
  8. CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 1,044
  9. CHINA INSTITUTE OF ATOMIC ENERGY 1,011
  10. HITACHI-GE NUCLEAR ENERGY 955